1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system that forms a frame about a bathing enclosure, either a bathtub-shower combination or simply a curtained shower enclosure, in order to provide a temporary (including long term temporary) and removable operable shower door system for the bathing enclosure.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Many bathrooms have a bathtub shower combination enclosure or even a shower enclosure wherein the enclosure is open, that is, lacks a door or other solid enclosure. In order to take a shower and keep the water from spraying all over the bathroom, a shower curtain is hung from a curtain rod installed above the outer edge of the tub and with the shower curtain acting as a soft barricade against the spraying water.
While effective, many users are not particularly fond of shower curtains. As the curtain must hang within the bathtub to be effective, the curtain intrudes on the showering space of the user—which is especially problematic is smaller sized bathtubs. Similarly, a shower curtain gives many users an uneasy enclosed, somewhat claustrophobic feeling, even if the shower curtain is transparent or translucent. A user often bumps the curtain during showering, sometimes to the point of pushing the bottom of the curtain out of the bathtub so as to have to stop and reposition the curtain back into proper place. Shower curtains often billow against the bather and cling to the bather as a natural result of air movement generated by the flowing water and the air conditioning system. Shower curtains are difficult to clean. Shower curtain rings tend to be fragile and often need replacement as does the shower curtain which leads to even more breakage problems with the shower curtain rings. Many users like to see into the main part of the bathroom, especially if another person is present, so that a comfortable conversation may occur. The same is true of shower only enclosures that use a curtain.
To combat the lack of satisfaction with shower curtains, fixed sliding or swinging doors can be installed above the outer edge of the bathtub. Such enclosures do not intrude into the interior space of the shower footprint and do not need to be adjusted if bumped, other than possibly to slightly reclose the door. As these enclosures tend to be transparent, they tend not to give users a feeling of claustrophobia and allow a relatively normal conversation to transpire between a shower user and another person within the bathroom.
While effective, such solid enclosures need to be installed in a fixed manner, typically requiring the drilling of holes into the walls above the bathtub and possibly into the bathtub itself and/or the use of adhesives. If the potential installer is a homeowner, such installation is not problematic from a permission point of view, although many homeowners do not want to use adhesives or permanent fasteners. The main problem with such enclosures is with renters. While a renter may ask a landlord to install such an enclosure into a rental unit, such requests tend to fall on deaf ears. The renter may desire to install the enclosure at his or her own expense, however, many landlords will not permit such installations, and even if a landlord so permits, such installations can be quite costly, often requiring the services of a skilled installer to accomplish. Once installed, such enclosures are considered an improvement to realty and remain with the property after the tenant vacates. As such, installation of such an enclosure by a renter can be quite cost prohibitive.
What is needed is a system that can provide a solid fixed enclosure above a bathtub in a bathtub-shower combination or a shower so as to eliminate the need to use a shower curtain while showering. Such a device must allow installation of the device without the need to make any permanent alterations to the bathtub or to the walls surrounding the bathtub or the use of strong adhesives so as to dispense with the need to seek landlord permission prior to installation. Such a device must be installable and removable quickly and easily without the need for a skilled installer.